The Latest Breaking News from Ngũgĩ wa Thiongo

The passing of celebrated Kenyan writer and scholar Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o on 28 May 2025 marks the end of a remarkable period in African literary history – the fabulous decades in the second half of the 20th century when African writers came to command the world stage.

Distinguished Kenyan novelist, poet and academic who championed writing in African languages rather than in English

Widely regarded as east Africa's most influential writer, Ngũgĩ’s fiction and nonfiction books traced his country's history from British imperialism to home-ruled tyranny and challenged not only the stories told but the language used to tell them.

The Kenyan author and political dissident, a giant of African literature and champion of indigenous African languages, died aged 87.

One of the world’s most acclaimed writers, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, has died at 87

Kenyan writer’s death announced by his daughter, who wrote: ‘He lived a full life, fought a good fight’

What does a writer’s education look like? Is it access to books, regular letter-writing, difficulty in childhood (war, illness, a brutal boarding school)? What talent or disposition primes the young writer for their training? In the push and pull of nature versus nurture, a key element is the right teacher,…

Kiswahili originated in east Africa, spreading around the continent and the globe. It’s been adopted as a working language at the African Union and there’s a push for it to become Africa’s lingua franca or common language. Morgan J. Robinson is a historian of east Africa with a research focus…

The long read: The Kenyan novelist’s life and work has intersected with many of the biggest events of the past century. At 85, he reflects on his long, uncompromising life in writing